And The Worst Part Is
by Haylie Jenee
Summary: Assassin's Creed 2 story line rewritten with OC (Arianna). eventual EzioXOC. T for language and violence.
1. Quick Author's Note Character Analysis

**If you want to read the story right away, go ahead and skip this. Any major questions, messege me or comment so I can reply quickly. Enjoy the story, consructive criticism if you think it's nessecary. Don't be a jerk about it though. I had someone comment before like this...**

**uhhh...  
>well...<br>uh... It's okay but uh...  
>keep working on it...<br>this and this and this was wrong.  
>uhh...<strong>

**Don't be a douche. Spit it out, but be polite. I'm not a strict rule follower, but this caught my eye in the rules that they make you read...**

**Everyone here is an aspiring writer. Respect your fellow members and lend a helping a hand when they need it.**

**PLEASE just be respectful...**

Alright, before I get started with posting this story I've got a few things to say.

So, first off, may you all PLEASE realize that this story was started BEFORE Brotherhood came out. I'll still try and match it to the canon. Also, I found the names for my characters by asking ChaCha for common Italian names. The fact that there's a character name Pietro and an Assassin's recruit with the last name Esposito are COMPLETELY coincidental. I actually got kinda pissed when I saw that.

One last thing… I'mma put in a "Character Analysis" right here to save room on my profile so… ENJOY! Bwahahaha!

Character Analysis

Name: **ARIANNA CELESTE ESPOSITO**

Born in Romagna

Age: 17

Year: 1476

Appearance: Green eyes, sorta pale, red hair (ginger), 5' 6"

Traits/Personality: Optimistic, spunky, confident, creative, independent, tomboyish, dependable, high-spirited, self-aware, determined, headstrong, self-assertive, outspoken, hotheaded

Story: There's not much known about **ARIANNA **herself, except the **ESPOSITO **family was very closely associated with the **AUDITORE** family. Supposedly her parents died in a "freak earthquake" when she was 14. In reality, her father died while on an assignment (her parents were Assassins, if you didn't get that) and her mother was with him, but **ARIANNA** wasn't very close to her mother (just because they never really bonded), so she left home. Her friend **PIETRO** had lived with her in Romagna for a while, but had moved to Firenze a year prior, so she went there (He's 4 years older than her). She laid low and kept to herself. At the story's start, she has met all the members of the **AUDITORE** family except for **EZIO**. The **AUDITORE **family treats her as such. Plus, through the **AUDITORE** family, she has also grown to know **LEONARDO DA VINCI **quite well. Her father's side of the family had been a long line of Assassins, and he'd trained her to carry on the tradition. But even then, he mostly only taught her to fight and the basic rules, because _his_ father had taught him the same way, and had let him learn the rest for himself. Anything besides that she had to either learn for herself, or just build on the skills her father had given her.


	2. Prolouge

It's not everyday that you meet someone who you'd drop everything and risk your life for. It's also not common for this same person to be someone who you risk your life for time and time again, over and over and over, even when you aren't sure they'd do the same for you. Some people attract danger. Some people look for it. I happen to be someone for whom both of these are true. I have never regretted the path I chose, never regretted who I was, even when I was staring death square in the eyes. I never give up. But what kind of person would I have to be to do so, when giving up on myself entitled giving up on someone I loved?

** Year: 1476**

It was a warm summer day, like any other in Firenze, Italia, sometime in the afternoon, late enough for orange and red rays of light to cast long, desolate shadows across every street.

I stood two stories above the Ponte Vecchio on the decrepit roof of an old abandoned shop. My focus was directed to one person on the bridge, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I watched as a fight between him and whoever was on his side (whatever that side was) and Vieri de' Pazzi's "followers" erupted, for reasons I wasn't aware of.

I grinned, pulled my hood up, and turned in the opposite direction.

Giovanni was going to LOVE hearing about this…


	3. Sequence 1: The Coming Storm

It had been dark for a half hour already when I left the Palazzo Auditore. It had been raining for around the same amount of time, and the streets were already getting muddy. I hadn't planned to turn in early tonight, but I definitely wasn't going to go running around in this...

Sighing, I left the courtyard of the palazzo hurriedly, pulling up my hood to keep my face dry.

When I started down the street, I heard footsteps on the rooftops to my right, probably ten feet behind me. My immediate reaction was to spin around and find whoever was following me, even though it was too dark to see much of anything through the rain, but when the sound of my steps stopped, I heard a familiar voice.

"Buona sera, Arianna!" It called.

I instantly recognized the voice as belonging to Pietro Contadino, one of my longtime childhood friends, who also happened to be a city guard, which helped sometimes... although most of the time it was just a pain.

I realized the footsteps and the voice had both been coming from Pietro, and relaxed.

"You should know better that to sneak up on me Pietro." I answered, peering through the rain, trying see him on the roof.

"You are so paranoid! There's not always someone trying to kill you, you know."

"Well, you never know. Now get down here, I can't even _see_ you!"

I heard a few footsteps and a light thud as Pietro landed on the street.

As he came into view, he asked, "So where are you off too?"

I shrugged. "I just finished talking to Giovanni," I nodded towards the palazzo, "so now I'm free to do whatever."

This made him snort. "Seems more like a report if you ask me."

I sighed. By now, you'd think I'd know better than to talk to Pietro about_ anything _involving the Auditores. "If Giovanni wants me check anything out for him," I paused, then shrugged again, "I don't know, I guess it's the least I can do. After everything he and his family have done for me, refusing any small favors like that would be incredibly disrespectful."

"I'm not sure I trust the Auditores. Something about them seems out of place..." He trailed off questioningly, as if he expected me to let him in on some big secret that would clear him of all suspicion.

I glared at him disbelievingly. "If it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't even be alive right now. I know them well, and there's nothing wrong with them."

He rolled his eyes. "You would've managed. It's only been three years since your parents died." His tone was painfully merciless.

I flinched. He still didn't know that my mother was alive, but keeping away from me, and that my father hadn't actually died in an earthquake, that he'd been murdered.

"You know, something is a little off about you too, Arianna." Pietro continued throwing his dagger-sharp words at me.

I shot him a resentful look, but he merely glanced down at me, calm as he always was in the wrong situations.

"What are you saying?" I growled through my teeth.

"You're always on your guard, so suspicious, as if you're worried someone is hunting you down..." He scratched his head, pondering.

I crossed my arms, trying to lighten my mood, and utterly failing. "You're one to talk. You're suspicious of _everyone._" My words came out sharper than I'd wanted.

"Well _that_ I can't help. It's my job." He pointed at that ugly city guard emblem on his armour.

I took in a deep breath and looked down. I _really_ didn't want to talk about this anymore. It seemed like every other time Pietro and I talked, we argued about _something_. It was getting old...

It wasn't until I uncrossed my arms and let them hang at my sides that Pietro finally broke the silence.

"Arianna, how've you been?" He asked in a gentle voice, almost concerned, which was completely out of character for him.

I looked back up at him. "Huh?" My voice shot up an octave in surprise.

"You seem more... uptight nowadays." The small grin he'd acquired when I'd spoke faded. "You aren't as easygoing as you used to be. Is everything alright?"

I stood there like an idiot, looking at him with my jaw dropped. Pietro _never _expressed worry for me, never sincerely, anyway.

I shook my head, trying to regain my composure. There was no sound but the rain, so I focused on that, noticing that it was coming down harder, and I was getting soaked.

When I decided it was a good time to speak, I took a deep breath before I began.

"Um, I'm not sure I can completely explain it... and... I'm not exactly sure that you'll care either, but... Giovanni has been acting... weird, lately..." I paused. I was having trouble putting my worries to words, and it was even harder knowing I was telling someone who hated the source them. "I don't know, but he keeps saying I need to prepare for change, and the way he says it..." I shivered. "Well, it's not exactly... encouraging.

There was a long pause, making me think I should've kept my mouth shut. Pietro didn't give a crap...

"I don't think you should worry so much." Pietro said, and I jumped.

Surprised again, I looked down, determine not to show it. "You think so?" I mumbled pathetically.

"Yes. I may not be too fond of the Auditore family, but if something is bothering you, don't keep it from me for such a silly reason as that."

I glanced back up at him guardedly, and he smiled brilliantly.

"I'm a friend, I promise." He continued grinning, as if the idea sounded fun to him.

As the silence lengthened, I heard the rumbling of thunder in the distance, and sighed.

Pietro heard it too. "You should probably go home now. The storm is only going to get worse before it gets better." He looked behind him, as if he had somewhere he needed to be. "I have to go too. Arrivederci." He turned and walked away, waving.

I watched him until I couldn't see through the rain anymore, then glowered up at the sky when I caught the flash of lightning.

All the way home, I kept thinking of how I wasn't going to get much sleep tonight. Not because of the storm, I had a much more to think about.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh boy. Watch out for Pietro. He can be a jerk. ;D SOOOO please review, tell me of any typos you catch, or any errors in italian, if you find em. THANK YOUZ!<strong>


	4. Sequence 2: Distractions

I was right about getting no sleep. My brain kept me up all night. I had enough to think about with Giovanni's recent warnings, but now I had the problem of trusting Pietro. I wish I _could_ just trust him, but I don't like being put at someone's mercy like that.

These things were still stirring in my head as I stared out the window at the river, brushing my hair.

My house was the first building on the right of the Ponte Vecchio facing the Arno River, if you were coming from the San Giovanni district. I actually didn't really own it. When I first came to Firenze, I had no money, no possessions, no anything. If I needed to eat I would just steal things from the market...

**Flashback**

_It was my second week in Firenze, I was 14, and my father had just died. I was trying to use all the skills he had taught me to survive, mostly to eat. The first day I had spent here I had spent starving, not a bite of food, so I had to resort to stealing. When I arrived, I had planned to find my friend Pietro and get help from him, but he was no where to be found._

_There was one stall that I had found paticularly easy to take food from, it was so busy all the time, I could sneak in and out like I was supposed to be stealing._

_But one day, I showed up later than I usually did, so the crowd was a little sparce. I still needed to eat though, so I tried to be sneakier about it than I usually did. Following a group of people up to the stand, I barely managed an apple, but I got greedy and went for another one, when someone grabbed my wrist. I tried to pull away, but failed._

_I looked up to see who was keeping me from escape, and realized it was the man who owned and ran the stall. He was tall and lanky, obviously not very old, and had dull black hair and wide green eyes._

_"So, you're the one who's been stealing from my stall all this time?" He said in a smooth, deep voice._

_My eyes widened. He knew it'd been me the whole time. He was going to turn me in._

_The big group I'd followed in left, so it was just him, a woman that usually helped him with the stall, and me._

_The woman came up and said, "Now dearie, don't be worried. We won't take you to the guards as long as you promise not to take anything else."_

_I probably looked younger than I was, being as frail and dirty as I was, that was probably why she was going easy on me. I replied, "But... I... can't..."_

_Her eyebrows pulled together. "Why not?"_

_"I-I.." I looked down. "I don't have any other way to get food..."_

_The couple looked at each other, then back at me. "Well, where are your parents?" She continued._

_I hesitated. "Um... they're..." I choked up._

_"Ohhh..." The lady trailed off, then whispered something in the man's ear._

_He turned to me. "Are you on your own?"_

_I nodded._

_"Hmm... Maybe we can work something out." He continued. "How opposed to having a job are you?"_

_I shrugged. "I've never had a real job before, but I don't have anything else to do."_

**END FLASHBACK**

For a while, that's all I did. I worked until I payed off the food I'd stolen, then I began to get paid when my debt was gone. It took a few more weeks until they figured out I had no place to stay, so they told me if I worked a little longer each day, instead of paying me, they would pay for a house for me and let me eat food from their stall.

I never understood why they were so kind to me, but it helped keep me alive. Even when I decided not to work anymore, they didn't sell the house. They said it was next to nothing to keep it up, and even now, if I was having food trouble, they'd give me some food without charge now and again.

Not wanting to waste the day, I put down my brush and headed out the door with my hood down, which rarely didn't conceal my face.

I jogged a few houses down, still on the side facing the river, until I reached a building that was easy to climb because of to the way the windows and bricks were set. To be honest, I wasn't very big on running around in the streets. Too crowded. It was very slow going most of the time.

I headed across the rooftops towards a tower closest to the river at I could get, and climbed as high as I could go to look out over the city. Usually, I came up here so I could get some peace and quiet and utilized that spare time to think. Today, though, I wanted to think of nothing. I just wanted to find a distraction.

When I looked out over the San Giovanni district, my friend Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop caught my eye. If I wanted a distraction, Leonardo's happy attitude was sure to take my mind off of things.

I took a deep breath, focused, then lept into the air, landing in the hay-wagon that was waiting near the base of the tower. Brushing myself off, I headed towards the San Giovanni district across the River Arno. Leonardo's workshop sat at the northeastern edge of it.

When I approached the door, I knocked, then let myself in, albeit reluctantly, without waiting for someone to answer the door. Normally, I would wait until someone invited me in, but Leo insisted that I needn't do that, that I was as welcome here as he was. Even so, I still felt like I was intruding sometimes.

"Arianna!" Leonardo exclaimed when I came through the door. "It's been a while! Come va (_How are things_)?"

"Bene, grazie (_Good/Fine, thank you_)." I laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Well, avanti (_come in_)! Don't stand over there, looking out of place!"

I walked down the few steps from the landing in front of his door and over to where he was working, a big cluttered work table with plans and sketches all over the place.

"So, have you been working on anything exciting recently?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Mm, not really. I've been-" There was a knock at the door. "Ah, that must be Maria."

I smiled involuntarily. "Really? I didn't expect to see her today!" Maria was like a mother figure to me, as close to one as I had.

I skipped along behind Leonardo as he went to open the door (he picked up a box full of paintings on the way) and pushed aside him once I could get through.

"Ciao (_Hello_), Arianna! I didn't expect to see you here!" Maria enthused as I hugged her.

"I said the same thing." I laughed.

"Oh, Arianna, Leonardo, this is mio figlio (_my son_), Ezio."

I smiled (maybe a little too knowingly) at him. "Piacere di fare la sua conoscenza (Pleased to meet you)."

I reached out my hand, expecting him to shake it, but instead, he grabbed my hand and kissed the top of it.

I blushed and pulled my hand away as soon as I could, looking down as I did.

Maria laughed, but Leonardo was looking at me funny, probably thinking the same thing as me. My reaction was kind of strange... For me, anyway.

Maria spoke after a couple of moments, which felt like a lifetime to me. "Ezio, would you carry that for me?"

She pointed at the box Leonardo had set down.

"Si, Madre." He walked over and lifted it easily.

"Back to the house, then?" Leonardo started walking with Maria back to the palazzo, and Ezio followed. He wiggled his eyebrows at me as he passed, and I tried to put on my best poker face, but I couldn't help but crack a grin, barely stifling the laugh that threatened to burst through my lips. I was already acting weird, though, and that would make everyone think I had gone crazy, and I wasn't so sure that I hadn't myself.

I didn't pay attention when we were walking to the Palazzo Auditore, I wasn't too interested in their conversation, since they were talking about future plans, and considering I didn't seem to have any...

We arrived at the palazzo quickly; it was just around a few courners. When we entered the courtyard, Ezio set the box in front of the door.

"Thank you for help, son. Don't let me keep you from your other duties." Maria told him.

"It was nice to meet you, Ezio." Leonardo said, "I hope our paths cross again someday."

Ezio nodded politely, winked at me, then went into the house.

I sighed. _I guess I'll have to talk to Giovanni later... _I thought.

"I should be off." I told Maria. "Arrivederci." I waved as I left.

Instead of heading off somewhere else, I took an immediate left around the courner of the building and began climbing the wall of the palazzo.

"What is she doing?" I heard someone say. "That's no way to act."

I ignored them, as I always did. I didn't have time to worry about what others said about me.

_Though it seems that people have a problem judging when someone is out of earshot. _I thought to myself.

When I pulled myself up onto the roof, I heard a window open, and Ferderico yelled, "Hey, get off our roof!" from the top story window. I decided to just ignore him, I wasn't much in a joking mood, but I heard Claudia say, "What if it wasn't Arianna? That'd be a little awkward."

I stopped and listened, my prankster mind going to work. Federico's apparently did too. He replied in an ominous voice, "Especially if it was someone dangerous, maybe being chased by the whole city guard."

"Shut up," Claudia said, a little shakily.

I strolled back to the edge of the roof and swung down into the window (almost flying straight into Federico), and screamed as loud as I could.

The reaction was better than I'd hoped for. Federico jumped a little, but Claudia screamed louder than me.

I was barely able to talk through my laughter, "I got you _so_ good!"

Light-hearted Federico joined in my laughter, pushing my shoulder lightly, but Claudia stubbornly replied, "I wasn't that scared."

"Are you kidding?" Federico stole my exact response. "I wish I had a painting of the look on your face!"

I had been able to work my laughter to a giggle, but when he said that, I was laughing so hard I was almost crying. "That'd be so great!"

A red-faced Claudia stomped out of the room, leaving Federico and I to finish laughing alone.

"You set that up perfectly." I told him, heading back out the window.

"I was hoping you'd play off of it." He chuckled. "Didn't think you would at first."

"I wasn't going to, but I changed my mind."

"Lucky me."

"Lucky you." I laughed, disappearing out the window.

I climbed back up to the roof and walked over to the side facing the gate leading into the courtyard of the palazzo. Leonardo had already left, and I couldn't see Maria either. I sank to the floor, sitting cross-legged on the warm roof and prepared to wait for Ezio to leave, still chuckling about the look on Claudia's face.

I was about to lean back, ready to ponder on my strange reactions to Ezio's behavior earlier, when I heard the door open. I was on my feet in an instant, just in time to watch Ezio take off down the street.

"Arianna, you can come down now."

I froze and looked down. Giovanni was standing in the doorway looking up at me. I smiled and chuckled.

_How does he always do that? _I wondered as I dropped off the roof.

Once there was stable ground beneath my feet, I walked over and gave Giovanni a hug.

"Salve (_Hi/ Hello_), Giovanni. Come sta (_How are you_)?" I greeted respectfully.

"Non importa (_It doesn't matter/ Not important_)." He waved his hand at me. "Avanti (_Come in_)."

I followed Giovanni into the house. This was the behavior that was worrying me.

"Is Petruccio upstairs?" I wondered aloud, trying to make a little conversation.

"Of course." He replied simply. His eyes were trained intensely on something on his desk.

"Oh." I looked around awkwardly.

After a few moments he sighed. "Arianna... You've had to suffer through my rants lately, so you know something is wrong, corretta (_correct_)?" He was pacing now.

"Si (_Yes_.)"

He paused, then continued pacing. "Only you, Maria, and now Federico know that my family comes from a long line of Assassini (Assassins)." He continued. I started. He never talked openly about the Assassins like this. Ever. " "I need you to know that... if something happens to me, I want you to teach Ezio of his lineage. Since you come from a long line of Assassins as well, I want you to teach him of the Creed and the proper way to follow it." He spoke as if he knew something was going to happen, and soon. Soon enough that_ he _wouldn't have time to teach Ezio. A shiver ran down my spine.

"How... How am I supposed to teach him a_nything_?" I exclaimed. "Almost everything I know is self-taught!"

"You've been taught well." He joked half-heartedly.

"B-but he's the same age as me!" I sputtered. "Plus, I'm a girl... Why would he take advice from me...?" I trailed off. I'd always been looked down on simply because I was female.

"But you're strong. That'll make all the difference."

The moment he stopped talking, I heard some faint noise. Giovanni must've heard it too, because he froze as I did. It sounded like many footsteps, getting closer and closer.

The door burst open suddenly and an uncountable number of guards came rushing through the door. I was quickly disoriented, couldn't tell which way the door was or where Giovanni was standing, and it was so _loud_. One of the guards shoved me aside harshly, making me stumble backwards and smack my head against a wall. I was unconscious before I felt the floor.

Coming back into awareness was a very slow process. There was a soft buzzing noise that eventually developed into a voice.

"Arianna! Merda, svegliarsi (_Shit, wake up_)!" Claudia was yelling at me.

I shook my head to clear the confusion, then looked up at her as my eyes focused. "Claudia? Wh...What happened?" I blinked once and bolted upright. "Where's Giovanni?" I realized how wrong everything seemed, and looked around.

The book case to my left was tipped over, and book were strewn across the room. All the paintings on the walls were soiled, most were on the floor. The papers that Giovanni had been studying were scattered across the floor as well, and some of the candles that had been lit were knocked over. It's a wonder the house didn't burn down.

"The guards came and took my father and brothers to prison!" She cried.

My thoughts immediately went to Federico, who I'd just talked to before I spoke to Giovanni. How long ago was that?

They then flicked to Ezio. He hadn't even been in the house... Was he taken too?

I open my mouth to reply, but I heard the door knob begin to turn.

I jumped and practically tackled Claudia into the courner where whoever it was wouldn't see us, and where Maria was sitting in a chair.

The door opened then, whoever was entering was moving slowly, cautiously. Claudia started to breath heavily, so I covered her mouth with my hand.

"Father? Federico?" The voice was vaguely familiar to me, but Claudia tried to get up, but I pulled her back.

The moment of silence was deafening, until it was broken by a thud of something hitting the wall, and Annetta, the live-in maid, gasping sharply.

"Oh, Ser Ezio, thank God!" She exclaimed.

"What happened? Where is everyone?" He recovered quickly.

I released Claudia.

"They took your father and brothers to the Palazzo della Signoria - to prison!"

"My mother? My sister?"

Claudia had paused to check on Maria, who was unresponsive, and now ran out to meet Ezio.

I scooted closer to Maria and shook her shoulder very lightly. She didn't do anything, just stared ahead blankly. I stood up so I could see her face better. She didn't even acknowledge that I was there.

"She's in shock..." I heard Claudia say.

I closed my eyes and looked down. How could I have let this happen? How could I have been so _weak_?

_But_ _you're strong. That'll make all the difference._ Giovanni's words echoed in my head. I felt an anger growing deep in my chest. I had to fix this. I had to do _something, _because I could've helped stop this from happening.

I looked up at Claudia and Ezio.

"Is there someplace safe you can take them?" Ezio asked Annetta.

"Yes...? Yes! To my sister's!" She exclaimed.

"Good. Do that." Ezio directed. "I'll go to see my father."

"Be careful, Ezio. The guards were looking for you too..." Claudia warned gently.

He nodded and turned to go out the door.

I stood up then. "I'll see you soon." I told Claudia, meaning it. I'd decided that if I could do anything, I could protect Claudia and Maria, and make sure they were safe.

"What? Where are you going? You're just going to leave?"

"I need to talk to someone. He might be able to help." I hugged her, looked back at Maria, and left.

_But he might not..._

* * *

><p>WEEEEEEEEEEEEEHOOO! I got all kinds of chapters up! I hope you guys like this, if you don't, sorry. Umm... Typos, if you see em, tell me in a review or PM me, and same goes for if I had any bad translation moments. Please review! I'd REALLY appreciate it. Seriously. Thanks!<p> 


	5. Sequence 3: The Begining of the End

I ran as fast as I possibly could as I sprinted across the rooftops, headed towards the Duomo.

_If I can just figure out where's he's stationed, there may still be a chance to fix this._

I knew he was supposed to be in the San Marco district, or near it at least, and I also knew that, if it was clear enough, I could see that whole side of the city from the top of the Campanile. The main problem was the immensity of the tower. I'd never climbed anything that high.

I walked around the base of the tower, trying to waste as little time as possible, formulating a plan that was the best way up. I wouldn't want to get half way there and realize I was stuck.

It took me a few minutes to find I would have to climb the Duomo before I could even hope to make it up all the way.

I ran around the nearest courner of the Duomo, finding a tall door that was practically made to climb. I got to the lowest flat roof, which was where I needed to be to reach the area of the tower I was headed for. I walked to edge of the building and looked down.

_Okay, if I don't jump far enough, I'll still have enough chances to grab onto something, _I thought, _and if I miss completely, I probably won't die. Hopefully._

I took a couple steps back and took a deep breath.

_Here goes nothing..._

I don't think I ever made the conscious decision to go, because by the time I realized what I was doing, I was already launching myself off of the edge. My hands clutched the ledge I was aiming for, and I hit the wall with a quiet thud.

It took me a second to relax myself enough to start climbing up, and I couldn't bring myself to look either up or down. I didn't want to think of how high I was, or how high I was going to be. Each story that I climbed got longer and longer, due to a stupid design by the people who built the tower, and I couldn't stop thinking about how that made it a lot higher than I'd thought it was.

Eventually I made it to the top level, but I was stopped up by another part of the design. Instead of it being straight up and down, there was a section at the very top that jutted out a few feet more. I couldn't stand to think of how precariously I was going to be dangling hundreds of feet above the ground, so I gripped the ledge I was holding on to, then released it and pushed myself up and out with my legs.

I thought I got a good hold of the next ledge up, but my left hand slipped off the thin surface, almost taking my other hand with it. I gasped and grabbed the ledge again, before my right hand gave out.

I didn't let myself think of all the other ways I could fall, and reached up to a block sticking out of the wall and pulled myself up to the roof. Since I was on somewhat solid ground, I sank to my knees to catch my breath, then stood and faced the edge I had just climbed up from to look out over the city. It was a fairly clear evening, and I could see out to the San Marco district, more specifically, a small building near the Ospedale Degli Innocenti. That was where I was headed.

Now this was a moment I was dreading. Getting back_ down _the tower. On the opposite side of where I was standing, I knew there was a very large cart of hay, but, well, I was well over 250 feet above the ground. Still... there wasn't enough time for me to take the slow way and climb back down, so...

I took a step back, accompanied by a deep breath, then pushed myself forward and jumped over the edge of the building. My hair was whipped around, even with my hood up, for a good 3 seconds before I landed in the soft shelter of the hay. I climbed out and dusted myself off, pretty sure my tailbone was going to be killing me by tomorrow.

I took off again, headed north, running through the crowds, not even pausing to apologize to anyone I happened to push down in my rush. They we're the least of my worries. I didn't risk the rooftops either, in case I ran into a guard somewhere. That would be even more of a delay than the throngs of people clogging the streets.

When I entered the district I needed to be in, I pushed myself impossibly faster, skidding around courners, having to push myself off walls I would practically run into, dodging ignorant people, pushing even more out of the way instead. I was so focused on the task at hand that I didn't see the patrol of guards until I had almost run into them. In a wild second, I considered barreling straight through them. I was desperate enough, and I could just get Pietro to call them off, but that would be quite a setback, and I couldn't afford any of those, so I skidded to a halt right in front of them, my hood falling from my head, leaving me feeling incredibly exposed. They all stared at me as I gasped for air, staring around them at the alleyway behind them, practically bouncing as I tried to find a way around.

The guard nearest to me snickered. "What's your hurry, _bella_?" he asked in a tone that made me uncomfortable.

"I need to find someone!" I gasped, knowing full well it was a poor explanation.

"Oh really? And who would that be?"

"Pietro Contadino." I spat. The guards eyes flickered with recognition. "He's supposed to be stationed right on top of that building." I pointed to the one at the end of the alleyway.

"Oh." The guard blinked in surprised. He probably hadn't thought my situation was serious enough to involve a city guard. Can't they ever be just a little less suspicious?

_You're always on your guard. So suspicious._ Pietro's words echoed in my head, making me feel a little hypocritical, but I shoved them away.

"And how do you think you're going to get up there to get to him, hmm?" The guard continued.

"I'm going to climb the damn building!" I shouted, exasperated.

They all snickered, but stepped aside, and one bowed exaggeratedly as he motioned me forward. "Go ahead."

"_Grazie_ (Thanks)," I snarled sarcastically.

After I somehow found the will power to push myself past the guards, ignoring the disgusting comments they made when they thought I was out of ear shot, I heard them all fall silent as I continued straight up the building, climbing my way to the top.

When I poked my head over the roof's edge, to my immense relief, I saw Pietro standing on the opposite side of the building, right where he'd been when I saw him from the Campanile. I hauled myself all the way up and gathered enough air to call his name as I continued in his direction, barely managing to walk.

Lucky me, he heard and turned around. That saved me from avoiding his blade. He closed the distance between us when I had to stop and doubled over, trying to catch my breath.

"Arianna? What are you doing here?" He had picked up that I was here for a specific reason, probably because I _looked_ like I had ran here from the other side of the city, which I had.

I forced the words out through my heavy breathing. "You hear... what's happened... with the... Auditore family?"

His eyes narrowed. "Yes. What of it?" His tone was bitter.

"I need answers... Now. Why were Giovanni... and his sons imprisoned?" I pretended I didn't know Ezio had evaded capture.

"Sorry. Can't help you." He turned away and started to walk back to where he'd been.

My jaw dropped. I was NOT going to stand for that. I felt like I was about to puke because I'd pushed myself so hard, and I didn't push myself like that so I could be brushed off. It was here to get answers. And I intended to get them.

I felt tears welling up, but I didn't let them spill over. Now was not the time to show weakness. I let anger take the place of the tears, and felt my hands start to shake.

THIS I could show.

"Pietro." I growled through tightly clenched teeth.

He turned, his expression still a hard mask. But that's all it was. A mask. I could see the guilt in his eyes.

"Mi dispiace (_I'm sorry_), Arianna, but I have nothing that would be of use to you. You should-"

"Bull shit!" I shouted. His face lit up with surprise, and I struggled to return my voice to a normal volume. I didn't want the whole city to hear me on a rage streak. "I can't believe you. You told me you were my friend. Whose side are you on?" I had to lock my teeth together to keep my voice down.

Pietro's expression had returned to it's hard mask. "I can't reveal anything I know to you. This is my job, Arianna, it's important." A painful click went off in my head. "I'm not going to..." Something on his face changed. His expression softened, he looked guilty again.

I didn't understand why he stopped talking, but I took the opportunity. "So what? I'm not _important_ enough, right? Like I haven't heard that before." I whispered, then continued at full volume. "You know, there are plenty of jobs out there, Pietro. Ones that people don't hate you for. Ones less demeaning." I spat, my voice steadily growing louder. "I-I..." My voice broke. I realized why he'd stopped talking. I was crying. He'd never seen me cry before. I continued anyway, he could feel as bad for me as he wanted. "I trusted you Pietro! You said just YESTERDAY that I could trust you." I was yelling now, no way to stop it, but I didn't care if everyone heard now. I wanted as many people to know that Pietro was a backstabbing little bitch. "I have to say, congratulations. You ripped that trust away faster than anyone else ever has." My tone was heavy with sarcasm, but it changed back to a dangerously vulnerable tone. "I trusted you, thinking that maybe you would be someone who understands me. Who...who." I had to pause a moment, because I was choking up. I had to force my words through the sobs. "Who would help me if I needed. And for some unfathomable reason, I thought maybe you weren't a _bastardo_ like the rest of the guards."

My voice faded out, and I looked down. I had to clench my teeth to keep back the sobs that were threatening to rip me apart. Pietro stayed silent until I found more words.

"You just don't understand, do you?" My voice was somehow gentle, yet it still had a sharp edge to it. "You've never been alone like I am." I tried to return my voice to it's former power, but I couldn't do it. "I've told you the Auditores are practically my family. Well, even they can't always be there for me you know." Something inside me sparked, and my voice began to gain strength. "They have their own lives, and their REAL family to worry about. I've never been first priority to anyone... But you know what? They're still _my_ family, and I'm about to lose half of them, and all YOU can think about is your cazzo di lavoro (_fucking job_)!" I was getting insanely irritated with myself, because whenever my voice became stronger, so did the sobs. My teeth locked again, and I kept my head down.

Pietro spoke. "Arianna..." His voice was pleading.

I pulled my head up to glare at him. "I think you've said quite enough." I took a couple steps back. My head was spinning with hurt and anger. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Pietro's mouth opened to say something, probably hurt me further, and I couldn't take it. I spun around and _ran_. Somehow faster than before, still crying.

"Arianna! Wait!" He called.

I didn't even think of looking back. "Dannazione a voi (Burn in hell)!" I screamed back at him, pushing myself away faster.

A few minutes later, I found myself in the north part of the San Marco district. My sobbing had eventually pulled me to my knees, not even allowing me to stay standing. I somehow managed to catch my breath, and the sobs ebbed away, leaving a slight sting and a horrible soreness in my chest as the remaining tears streamed down my face.

I knew that I was still holding a grudge against Pietro for not being there when I need him, when I first arrived in Firenze. I still hated that he was surrounded by people, well-fed, training to be a city guard, while I was being cared for by some very poor merchants.

I started to feel well enough to get up, so I dropped off the roof into the street. It was empty. I looked up at the sky and realized I'd wasted a lot of time. The sky was completely black.

I began to walk slowly south, back towards the palazzo. The streets were mercifully quiet, and I could barely hear conversations swelling from the walls of buildings I passed. All peacefully oblivious to everything that had happened tonight.

The silence was suddenly broken by running footsteps. I considered ignoring it, I wasn't in the mood to pay anyone any mind, but a small part in my brain, so used to being on guard, made me look up.

"Ezio!" I exclaimed, immediately feeling better to see a familiar face. A quiet voice in the back of my head told me it was because this was a person who didn't know how to hurt me, but I blocked the thought out. My mind was too open and vulnerable. All the walls I had built up to keep out memories or thoughts like that were broken.

Ezio recognized me instantly, which I thought was strange, since he'd only met me... could it have been just this morning? He slowed to a stop next to me. "Why aren't you-" He cut himself off, whatever he was about to say wasn't so important anymore. "Hey, have... Have you been crying?"

My eyes widened and I scrubbed any stray tears off my face with my sleeve. I'd forgotten I'd been crying when I saw Ezio.

"No..." I mumbled pathetically. He cocked his head to the side, confused, and that's when I noticed his attire. "Ezio, what are you wearing?" It _looked _like her was wearing Giovanni's old Assassin's robes. But he had the hood down, that's how I'd seen his face.

_Did Giovanni get the chance to tell him after all? _I thought. No, I had been the last person to talk to him. Oh, but Ezio had said he was going to try to find him before he'd left earlier...

Ezio waved off my question. "You might not want to be talking to me in the open like this. The guards will be after you too."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm pretty sure they already know I pretty involved with your family." I didn't let him protest and moved on to another subject. "So what did Giovanni say? Were you able to talk to him?"

"Yes, he said-" Ezio cut off his sentence again. His eyes focused on something behind me, and that's when I registered the sound of several pairs of walking feet, accompanied by the sound of clinking armour. Ezio grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the nearest alley.

We kept silent in the shadows, our backs to the wall until the patrol of guards passed and their footsteps faded away.

When Ezio spoke again, he whispered. " I am to deliver these documents to Uberto Alberti." He help up a very old looking envelope.

"The Gonfoniere?" I wondered aloud.

Ezio nodded. "My father said it contains evidence to prove them innocent."

Now I nod. "Mind if I go with you?" I asked, not really looking for an answer. He didn't give me one, so I assumed I was welcome. I peaked out the edge of the alley. "_Andiamo_ (let's go)."

"Wait." Ezio stopped me when I took a step. "_Senta_ (Listen)."

The night was almost silent, but I picked up on the sound of another patrol of guards, but it was far away, and getting quieter.

"_Bene (_Good)." He motioned me to follow him. "Come on."

We ran west, and I had no idea where the Gonfoniere's house was, so I just had to believe that Ezio knew where he was going. I could say I was there for moral support, but if I was honest with myself (which I wasn't), I was there because I didn't want to be alone.

The entire time, I was seriously struggling to keep pace with Ezio, but I wasn't going to let him know that. After all the running I'd done today, I was tired as all get out, but I knew better than to stop or ask Ezio to wait. We had to keep moving.

Ezio slowed down when we reached a reclusive round courtyard. It was very large, and it looked as if it housed more than one tenant. Then again, he _was _the Gonfoniere...

Ezio headed for a door on the far side and banged on it ferociously. There was a very short pause, and he knocked again. He was about to knock a third time, and I was about to tell him to wait, but the door opened.

"Ezio Auditore?" Uberto's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Ezio struggled to get the words out through his heavy breathing, but he only managed single syllables.

"Relax, child. Take a breath, collect your thoughts." Uberto said patiently.

Ezio explained the situation in a rush, then handed Uberto the envelope containing the evidence.

"Ah, Ezio..." The Gonfoniere nodded when he looked at the documents. "This contains evidence of a conspiracy, against your family, and against the city. I will bring this to the execution tomorrow."

My head started spinning. Tomorrow? That was too soon. And how did he know about this? Wouldn't he have thought it strange that Ezio was still running about? Maybe he did, maybe that's why he'd looked so confused. Wouldn't he have had a bigger reaction, in that case?

It was then I noticed someone in the room behind Uberto. It was a man, and he was wearing a type of cloak, it was all black. The almost smug look in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine, but the man was out of my sight before I could examine him more.

I shook my head to clear it of the conspiracies running through my mind. Ezio thanked Uberto, and declined an offer to stay the night. When the door closed, he turned to me.

"Well," I sighed, a little shaken, "I guess all we can do is wait until tomorrow..."

The day that changed everything.

* * *

><p><strong>PHEW! *wipes forehead dramatically* What a doozy. That chapter was LOOO-oong. For me, I guess. Sooo... Review, help with typos, I don't think I put in enough Italian to make errors, those are words I already know. And I hope you all know BENE. It's like, something you should know. ;D But still, just in case, point any translation errors out if you catch em. Annnd... I'm going to have a hard time writing the next chapter! IT'S SO SAD! D'X Ah well, wish me luck. ;D<strong>

**AND THANK YOU FOR READING!**


	6. Sequence 4: In The Mourning

Morning arrived too quickly, leaving my muscles feeling fatigued and sore. But I had to ignore it all the same, this wasn't the kind of day where I could sleep in just because I wanted to.

Ezio and I arrived at the Palazzo della Signoria just before the hearing began, when the sun was just beginning to come over the rooftops. The crowd was enormous, and everyone was yelling, though I couldn't tell in favor of what.

In the center of the courtyard, where the sun had reached, stood a large wooden stage, and on it stood Petruccio, Ferderico, and Giovanni, all with nooses around their necks.

I cringed away from the sight, but continued to follow Ezio to the edge of the roaring crowd. I had to stand on my toes to see over the crowd at the stage where... Uberto was standing? If he was up there, shouldn't this be over? I mean, he was here to save them... wasn't he?

"Giovanni Auditore," Uberto bellowed suddenly, "you and you're accomplices stand accused of the crime of treason! Is there any evidence to counter this trial?"

Accomplices? Treason?

"Yes! The documents that were delivered to you last night!" Giovanni yelled.

"I know not of these documents you speak of."

My jaw dropped, and Ezio shouted, "He's lying!" and began to try to make his way into the crowd. I trailed closely behind, having to shove people out of my way to do so.

"In the absence of any compelling evidence to the contrary..." Uberto announced, "I am bound to pronounce you guilty. You and your collaborators are hereby sentenced to death!"

Everything started moving in slow motion.

Betrayal.

Betrayal.

Betrayal.

I tore my glare from Uberto to look at the accused, and my eyes locked with Ferderico's.

Suddenly, I was in a different place and time...

...

_"Ugh. Go away." I growl at the absurdly handsome boy that keeps bugging me as I try to work my first day at the food stall in the market._

_"Oh c'mon, why are you being so rude?" He puts on a puppy dog face, his medium blonde hair falling in his face._

_"I need to work! Stop bugging me."_

_He scowls. "Please, just tell me your name!"_

_"Will you leave if I do?"_

_"Maybe."_

_This guy had been bothering me for at least an hour for me to tell him my name, since some of the stall's regulars had politely asked me about myself. Once he'd learned I was new around here, he was suddenly all interested in making me feel "welcome." _

_I sigh. "It's Arianna."_

_"That's a nice name. I'm Ferderico." He smiles, and I can't help but smile back. "So where are you from?"_

_"Romagna."_

_"Really? I've never met anyone from there."_

_"Well, now you have."_

_"Federico!" A woman's voice calls from behind him. I look around him and see a middle aged woman making her way towards us through the crowd. She walks up to him and looks at me. "Federico, are you bothering this girl?" She said in mock disapproval._

_"No, _Madre. _I was just making her feel welcome in her new town." He looks around her and winks at me._

_Federico's mother turns away from him and faces me, setting her coin-purse on the counter. "I'm sorry if he was bothering you. He can be quite overzealous at times." She tells me, and Federico looks at her with disbelief from behind her back."You can call me Maria."_

_"Thank you, Maria, but, he wasn't really bothering me. Well, he _was_ being annoying, until I told him my name." I laugh. _

_"It's Arianna." Federico says proudly._

_Maria rolls her eyes. "Well, we must be on our way." She starts herding Federico away. "Goodbye, Arianna."_

_"See you around!" Federico calls hopefully._

_I wave to him, then look around awkwardly. My eyes settle on the counter._

_Maria's coin purse was still there._

_..._

_I stare up at the enormous palazzo looming over my head._

Okay, I just knock on the door, say she left it, give it to them, and leave! _I think as I glare at the front door through the gate._

_I fiddle with the necklace I always wear, one my father gave me before he died, and gather my courage before marching though the gate and knocking on the front door._

_An awkward second passes, and an unfamiliar face answers the door. The man looks in his late thirties - early forties, and has very pointed, deliberate features that still manage to look soft and gentle. His dark blonde hair falls straight to his shoulders. _

_"Can I help you, little one?" He asks politely._

_"Uh, um..." I stutter. "Are... are you Giovanni Auditore?"_

_"Si."_

_"Well, uh, I... I work at a stall... um, in the market? And I met your wife today... but um..." I clutch at my necklace desperately, trying to find that courage I'd just had moments before. "She left her coin-purse... at the stall... w-where I work." I let go of my necklace to grab the coin-purse off my belt and hold it out to him. "I assumed she'd... you know, want it back."_

_He laughed, and took it. It looked like he was about to say thank you, but that's when he notices my necklace. "Bambina (little one), where did you get your necklace?" he asks, genuinely curious._

_"Oh, um... My father... he gave it to me... on my 7th birthday..."_

_"Do you know what it is?"_

_I pull the necklace out to look at the silver Assassin's symbol. "Yeah, it's..." Something clicks in my head. "Oh... _oh..."_ I look up at him. "Nothing is true?"_

_His eyes widen, then he smiles. "Everything is permitted."_

_..._

_"Sorry, Arianna, I can't stay and talk." Federico tells me as I give him the food he'd just paid for. _

_"Oh? What's wrong?" I ask._

_"My youngest brother, he's sick and doesn't leave the house often, and he's kind of having an episode right now."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry. Go, don't let me hold you up." I shoo him._

_"Thanks Arianna!" He smiles and runs off._

Maybe it'd be nice to get his little brother something,_ I think, looking around the market. _Just to cheer him up.

_I wait another day, just to make sure everything's okay, then go hunting for a gift. I settle on a beautiful dark leather notebook, and a small wooden chest from a stall across the aisle._

_I decide to show up at the Auditore house unexpected, and Maria answers the door. "Oh, hello, Arianna! How are you?"_

_"I'm fine, grazie!" I look at the canvas bag I'm holding, then back at her. "Um, Federico told me the other day that he couldn't stay and talk at the market because his youngest brother is sick... And um..." I pause awkwardly. "I thought maybe, because he doesn't get to leave the house much, maybe I could give him something, just to brighten up his mood... or something..." I look at my shoes and wonder if I'm invading their space._

_Maria is silent for a moment, then smiles warmly. "That's extremely caring of you, Arianna. What a wonderful idea." She invites me in, takes me up to her youngest son's room, knocks, then leads the way in._

_A young boy with longish brown hair, probably around the age of nine, looks up from a book he's reading when we enter. _

_I wave at him awkwardly when Maria introduces me, and finish with a weak, "Hi."_

_He smiles brightly and answers, "Hello! I'm Petruccio!"_

_I walk over and kneel by where he's sitting by the floor. "I brought you a gift!" I tell him excitedly._

_His eyes light up. "Really? Why?"_

_I decide to not make it awkward. "Well I want to make a good first impression, don't I?"_

_He nods and giggles._

_"Here," I reach inside the bag and pull out the small chest, which he takes with an enthusiastic thank you, and gets even more excited when he opens the top and finds the notebook inside. _

_He hugs me, and when he pulls away, he says, "You know what? I like you. You're nice."_

_"I'm glad you like the gift!" I laugh._

_"You wanna be my friend?"_

_"Well of course!"_

_He smiles and jumps up, then walks over to put the chest on the nightstand by his bed, where everyone would see it._

...

"You are a traitor, Uberto!"

Giovanni's words bought me back to the present with a painful blow of realization. My eyes were still locked with Federico's, and I couldn't look away. I didn't _want _to look away, but I didn't want to see what was inevitably about to happen. I was surprised when I searched his face, and found no fear there. He looked calm, as if he'd accepted his fate. I wanted to yell to him, tell him how much I was going to miss him, thank him for everything he'd done for me, let him know how much I appreciated him showing up at the stall everyday just because he wanted to talk, and how much that meant to me...

But I wasn't going to get that chance.

"You may take our lives this day, but we will have yours in return, I swear. We will!" Giovanni let out his last words.

Uberto nodded at the executioner.

He pulled the lever.

"NO!" I screamed. Ezio began pushing people aside and running forward towards the stage, and I clutched at his arm desperately through my tears. "Ezio, wait!"

"There! Grab that boy." Uberto pointed at Ezio. "He's one of them!"

Two guards rushed up and grabbed him at him wrists and elbows, attempting to restrain him.

"I'll _kill _you for what you've done!" Ezio snarled at Uberto, and teared himself free from the guards, pulling his sword out from it's sheath. When he turned around, the guards had backed off, and a heavily armoured one had taken their place. He knocked the sword out of Ezio's hands with his over sized axe, leaving Ezio defenseless.

"Ezio, run!" I shouted at him.

Uberto glared at me pointedly. "Get her too." He told the other guards.

I looked at Ezio desperately as the guards charged us from all sides, and in the same instant, we bolted.

Knowing full well that we couldn't run forever, Ezio led me around the first courner we reach and dove into a hay-wagon. I jumped into the nearby well, and waited, pressed up against the wall, up to my hips in water.

The sound of footsteps resonated within the well, deafening me, until finally, they all passed, leaving dust swirling over my head.

I waited a few more silent moments before deciding to climb back out. When I hit dry ground, I looked up, and saw Ezio exiting his hiding spot as well.

We looked at each other for a long time.

_What do we do now?_

* * *

><p><strong>UGH! This chapter was so hard to write. I was crying almost the whole time! I tried to reread it at little as possible, so if you find typos, PLEASE tell me. They're probably abundant.<strong>

**This is actually a MAJOR improvement over the first version of this chapter. It used to be so short, that you wouldn't even have to scroll to read the whole thing. And that was after I'd tried (and failed) to lengthen it. Then one random day, it hit me! My brain told me, "****_OMGOMGOMG YOU SHOULD TOTALLY MAKE IT SAD AND AS HARD TO READ AS POSSIBLE AND MAKE PEOPLE CRY AND STUFF!" _****Yes. My brain said that.**

**Chapter 5 it coming soon! Enjoy the frequent upload while you can. After Chapter 6, production will slow WAAAAY down. So, review, typos, THANK YOU from reading. But seriously, I need some reviews y'all. This is starting to suck! "PLEASE REVIEW!" said the non-desperate writer.**

**Lastly, I know I stole the chapter name from Paramore, but admit it, the name fits PERFECTLY! :D**


	7. Sequence 5: Starting Over

Ezio and I wandered the streets for a long time, not really headed in anyone direction. We kept to the shadows, knowing the entire city was on high alert, looking for us.

After a while, Annetta found us. When she approached us, she said she would lead us to her sister's house, but Ezio told her it was too dangerous for her, so she settled on giving us directions to get there. We didn't hesitate to start on our way there, but we ended up taking an extremely indirect route, since we couldn't use any main streets, and only some of the alleyways were clear of guards.

When we arrived, we went right in, but stopped ourselves short when I closed the door behind us.

"A... A brothel?" I looked around bewildered. Annetta's sister was a courtesan? I looked up at Ezio for a confirmation, but he was confused as I.

Annetta walked up, and Ezio asked if we had the wrong building, but she said, "No. No, this is it."

The focus of the room was the staircase in the very back of the room, though the back of the room was closer to us than the ceiling or the side walls. The room maintained a deep red theme, with even the wooden surfaces seeming to emanate a red tone.

A few moments passed before a woman in a exotic, bright red dress walked around the courner from a hall on our right and entered the room. Based on the fact that she was more well-dressed than the rest of the women, I assumed that she was the owner, and Annetta's sister.

She drew nearer and addressed Ezio. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Messer Ezio. Annetta speaks quite highly of you. I can see why."

"I appreciate the kind words, Madonna." Ezio replied.

"_Ti prego _(please), call me Paola." She turned to me. "I'm sorry but I don't know your name." Her tone was friendly enough. "You are..?"

"Oh, I'm Arianna."

"Ah, a pretty name."

I smiled. "_Grazie _(thank you)."

Ezio rejoined the conversation. "Thank you for offering your house to my family, Paola."

"It's the least I could do." Paola responded. "You must be tired. Perhaps you'd li-"

"No, _grazie_, I can't stay." He cut her off.

I glanced at his face then, wondering what he was thinking. What option was there right now? Trying to sneak from the city alone was asinine, and even then, we had Maria and Claudia to worry about. We couldn't go to either one of our houses, there were probably guards stationed at the front door, in case we came back.

"Why? Where are you going?" Paola voiced my questions.

Ezio paused. "To kill Uberto Alberti."

I rose an eyebrow at him. Had he ever even killed anyone before? I seriously doubted it. He must be taking it lightly because he didn't know what it was like... He didn't know that no matter what kind of grudge you hold, it wasn't easy.

"I understand you're desire for vengeance, but the Gonfoniere is a powerful man. You are not a killer, Ezio." Paola reasoned.

I was about to put in my two cents, but Ezio spoke. "Spare me the lecture." His tone was almost bitter.

"...But I can make you one." Paola continued.

Ezio turned to look at her, and I couldn't help but think... What would a courtesan know about killing?

"How are you going to teach me how to kill?" Ezio spoke my thoughts.

"I'm not. I'm going to teach you how to survive. Come." She gestured him to follow her.

I stood there for a moment, and decided I'd rather visit Maria and Claudia than go to Paola's survival class.

Annetta willingly led me up to the second floor and to Ezio's family's room. When we reached the door, I thanked her.

"Of course. Also, if you were planning on staying as well, there's an extra bed in there for you. Though I'm sure if you want your own room we-."

I laughed. "No, no, this is fine. I'll share the room, don't worry about it." I assured her.

I turned to open the door, but it flew open before I could grab the knob.

"Arianna!" Claudia flung herself at me and gave me a hug.

"Uh, hey, Claudia..." I was a little surprised. To be honest, I was under the impression that Claudia wasn't too fond of me.

"Where's Ezio?" She asked.

"Oh, Paola wanted to teach him how to survive or something." I joked. I hoped she didn't ask me about the rest of her family. I didn't want to break the news to her.

Claudia went to sit on her bed, and that's when I saw Maria sitting in a chair by it. She looked as unresponsive as she was the last time I her.

After a few minutes, it was obvious she wanted to, but was probably holding out to ask Ezio. She was tapping a hole in the floor with her foot, messing with her fingernails, fidgeting, but the whole time, she kept silent.

Eventually, I got bored of the sight of the floor from the edge of my bed, so I decided to memorize the rest of the room.

It was pretty small, but not claustrophobic. It had one queen bed, the one Claudia was sitting on, and a single bed, the one I was sitting on. Mine was pretty out of place they probably dragged it in from another room.

The floors were wooden, the same as the main foyer, and covered with a large, round burgundy rug, and the walls were the same wood as the floor.

I started wondering why the room seemed so dark and depressing, when I realized it was because there was no window.

That's when I got restless, and even a little claustrophobic, so I sighed and got up, pausing to stretch.

"Where are you going?" Claudia questioned.

"I just need to walk a bit. I might go insane if I don't find a window, actually." I joked half-heartedly.

I got out of the room anxiously and closed the door behind me. When I turned around, I almost ran straight into Paola.

"Oh, _mi scusi_ (excuse me)!" I exclaimed.

"Relax, child." She laughed at me. "I was actually just coming to check on you all. How is everyone?"

"Uh, bored, I guess." I grinned. "They're fine, but I just need to get some fresh air, even if it's only through a window."

She nodded, and said, "Well maybe I can find some books for you girls to pass the time." The offer was genuine, but by the tone of her voice, she knew it wouldn't do much.

When she started down the hall I called her back. "Oh, um, Paola!"

"Yes?" She turned back around.

"Just out of curiosity, what did you teach Ezio?"

She smiled. "Simply how to blend with the crowd. Oh, and how to pickpocket." She winked at me and walked away.

I was going to ask where he was, but I didn't want to bug her anymore, so I continued down the hall and staircase. Annetta was there, so I asked her.

"Oh, Paola sent her to Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop."

I thanked her, and left the building, using the back door and being as inconspicuous as possible.

I weaved through the crowd, ducking in alleyways and hiding in groups of people or on benches whenever guards walked by. There was one close call where I had to dive into a pile of hay in the alleyway I was in, but after that, I got to Leonardo's without a problem.

I knocked on the door before entering, as usual, then let myself in.

Leonardo was at his big work table, examining a scroll of some sort, and Ezio was sitting in a chair. It looked like he was asleep.

Leonardo lifted his head when I started down the few steps from his door. "Arianna! I'm glad to see you're okay. I heard the guards were after you too..." He said, and walked over to me to give me a hug, which I returned.

"Yeah, I heard that too." I smiled weakly. "So what's that you're working on?" I continued for a change of subject.

"Ezio brought it in. By the looks of it, it's-"

"Oh!" I knew exactly what it was when I looked at it. I held up my wrist to Leonardo.

"Fascinating!" He grabbed at my arm to look at the hidden blade and bracer.

"Where did Ezio say he got his from?"

Leonardo released my arm. "I don't know. He didn't say." He walked back to his desk to continue working, and I followed him over.

"Hmm..."

"And that should do it! Look!" Leonardo enthused as he held it up to me. I took it to examine it., and realized something about it was different than mine. Leonardo saw the perplexed look on my face and laugh.

"I modified it a little. Usually, you're supposed to remove your ring finger," he grimaced, "to assure the commitment of the wielder." He smiled, his eyes full of wonder.

I grinned. _Like the stories my father used to tell me._

"Well anyway," He went on, "I'm going to play a joke on Ezio, so don't give it away, okay?" I laughed. "Okay."

Leonardo walked over to Ezio and woke him up by exclaiming, "It's finished!"

Ezio looked up at him groggily. "What's finished?"

Leonardo explained that the scroll had shown him how to make the blade, and when Ezio reached for it, Leonardo pulled it away.

"We'll have to cut off your ring finger, however." He held up a big ass butcher knife.

Where the hell did he get that from?

"_Dici sul serio _(Are you serious)?" Ezio's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, but that's how it must be done."

Ezio looked at me for conformation, and I just shrugged.

He weighed his options for a quick moment, the put his hand on the table, ring finger extended. "Bene, do it quickly."

Leonardo paused dramatically, then slammed the knife on the table, inches away from Ezio's finger, who jumped and looked up at Leonardo, a little pissed. I started laughing.

"It was only a joke, Ezio. The blade once required a sacrifice, but it's been modified."

Ezio put on the bracer and released the blade. "Incredible..." He twisted his wrist around to admire it.

When it was time to leave, I hugged Leonardo and thanked him for letting me hang around, then Ezio and I left.

I followed Ezio as we made our way back to Paola's, but half way there, I decided to get something off my chest.

"Ezio?" I spoke quietly when we were in a small alleyway distant from any main roads.

He looked back at me. "Yes?"

I hesitated. "I... I'm sorry I didn't do anything more to save your father and brothers. I feel like there was so much more I could have done, but I didn't think of anything at the time. I can't help but feel partially at fault..."

Ezio stopped walking and turned around. "Arianna, there was nothing more you could've done. You have no reason to feel guilty."

I nodded, still not convinced, and Ezio turned back around and continued toward Paola's house.

I thought about how strange this was. The silence between us was comfortable, as if we'd known each other forever, though we'd only met the day before the execution. It was as if we were already good friends, like we could trust each other.

I rejected the thought as quickly as it'd come. No, I'd known Pietro for years and trusted him, and look where that had gotten us. I couldn't afford to give up my trust that easy. It needed to be earned.

I was sick of being hurt.

I KNOW I LEFT OUT THE GUARD COMING AND BEATING UP LEONARDO, BUT Y'ALL JUST NEED TO DEAL WITH

IT! BOOHOO IT'S NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE GAME! QUICK, SOMEONE CALL A WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHBULANCE!

Get over it.


	8. Sequence 6: Perspectives

**Oh so sorry guys! I haven't updated in forever! I've been absolutely OBSESSED with my Yugioh fanfic, and I've been neglecting my others! But hey, look on the bright side... CHAPTER 6! WOO! If you guys actually stuck with this story even though I haven't updated, I love you (in a not creepy way). I'll try not to take so long on chapter 7, aight? Aight.**

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><p>Claudia was pacing again. She still didn't know what happened to her convicted family. It was only a day after their death, but it must have felt like a lifetime for her.<p>

Still, she was holding out, refusing to ask me what had happened. She was losing her desire to ignore me though. It was only about two hours after I'd come upstairs when she finally cracked.

"Umm... Arianna?" She'd mumbled pathetically.

"Yes?" I looked up from the book I was reading. The reason why there was a Bible in a brothel completely eluded me, but I didn't complain.

"If you wouldn't mind telling me, wha-" She was cut off by a knock on the door.

Wow.

"Maria, Claudia, would you come downstairs please?" It was Annetta. "Arianna, you too."

That had to mean that Ezio was back, which meant he'd finished up with Uberto. I'd wanted to help out, but he'd told me he wanted to do it alone. I'd complied with his request and stayed back at Paola's. I would have much rather gone with him, but if I wasn't essential I didn't want to be a bother. As long as he knew what he was doing, and I wasn't positive that he

did.

Annetta opened the door and advised us to hasten our pace, so we all stopped what we were doing (which wasn't anything interesting) and filed out of the room.

With all the time I'd had to think, I spent a lot of it worrying. About what was happening outside of the room I was in, about what was changing as each second ticked by, but mostly one thing... What was going to happen after Ezio finished his business here in Firenze, after he'd done what needed to be done? Was he going to leave? Was I really enough of an asset for him to want me to come along? Or was I supposed to stay here and figure things out on my own? I knew if it was up to Claudia, I would be left behind. But at the same time, I didn't want to ask about it, because then they'd feel obligated to let me tag along. Chances were I wouldn't be invited. Ezio may be a friend, scratch that, ally to me, but I didn't know if those feelings were reciprocated.

I pondered on these things again as Annetta led us through the long hallway and down the main staircase. At the last step, Ezio was waiting for us, and Claudia ran to give him a hug. She was finally able to voice the question that had been fixed on her mind indisputably. She got her answer, but it wasn't what she'd wanted to hear. When she started crying, I couldn't help but feel blameworthy. She'd waited all this time just to hear that the rest of her siblings and father were deceased.

Ezio explained that they had to leave, and I looked down, my initial fears coming back to mind. I didn't want to assume they wanted me there and just go with them.

"Ehi (Hey), Arianna!" Ezio called. I looked up again. He was pushing Maria and Claudia through the door. "You're coming too, right?"

I smiled brilliantly, and not only was it not forced, but I couldn't deny it. I toyed with the idea that I might not actually be alone, but suspended the thought. I couldn't go soft now.

But I still couldn't stop beaming as I ran to join Ezio and the others, even when I caught Claudia shoot a disapproving glance at Ezio. He ignored her, and I stepped through the door way after her.

"Uh, Ezio?" I asked upon reaching the street. "Are the guards still looking for us?" I watched a pack of them casually saunter down the street, casually as a guard could be.

"I took care of it." He answered coolly.

I just accepted it and followed him. If they weren't gonna bug me anymore, I wasn't going to complain.

Ezio lead the way through the crowd, followed by Maria, then Claudia, and I brought up the rear.

We got to the main gate in a timely fashion, but the rest of the way wouldn't be as easy. There was a large amount of guards in front of the city gate, keeping anyone from entering or exiting. I didn't understand why they didn't just close the gate; it would have done (almost) as much good.

When he saw the guards standing there, Ezio paused, looked around, then grinned slyly. He told us to wait, then approached a group of courtesans. He handed them a pouch, assumingly filled with florins, and pointed at the guards. They drifted over to them, distracting them with their... ways.

Ezio motioned us to follow him again, so we hurried to catch up. I watched the guards circled around the courtesans as we scurried by. I held my breath the whole time, worried that one would turn and we would have them after us in an instant, but none did. They were captivated.

I rolled my eyes once we had successfully made it past the guards and the gate. Men could be such pigs.

We slowed a little after making it a few steps further from the gate, still open wide, guards still fawning over the women. Claudia began to ask Ezio all kinds of questions. All he was able to give her was honest replies of not having answers. He either became irritated by all the questions or the knowledge that he didn't have any, because when Claudia asked, "Will we ever come back?" He stopped, turned, threw his hand down and rebuked a harsh, "I don't know!" for the last time.

I felt pity for her. She was leaving behind the only friends she'd ever had, the only place she'd ever lived, the only possessions she'd ever known. Basically everything she'd ever had, as were we all. I was getting a break here though, because the only friends I'd ever had there were Leonardo and Pietro, and due to recent events, I was only leaving one friend. And the closest thing I had to family was either dead or with me. For all I knew, I might be headed to a better life. I had no reason, nor room, for self-pity.

I blinked when there was movement in my line of sight, making me focus back to the scene in front of me. Ezio was just turning to continue leading us on our way. I grinned a little and followed.

Despite the current situation, this might end up being a good thing. If you looked at it from a certain perspective.

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><p><strong>Wait, this chapter is SHORT?! Ugh, I didn't realize... I'll get chapter 7 up quick guys! Sorry if this was a disappointment, I didn't even realize this was such a skimpy chap! Thanks for reading anyway though! :D<strong>

**Review?**


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